WORKING WITH BIRD MEDICINE
Birds are a part of our everyday life. Most people pay little if no attention to their presence. And when they do, most attention from a spiritual perspective is focused upon the birds of prey, of which there are about 420 different kinds.10 Birds of prey are often considered the aristocrats of the bird world. They have long been commanding symbols of authority, evoking feelings of beauty, power and majesty. Their piercing eyes, sharp beaks and strong talons reflect a noble power, so most people find it easy to exalt in them.
An examination of the medicine and power of birds though should not be limited to birds of prey alone. Almost every bird has had some ancient and symbolic association with it. Woodpeckers were symbols of magic and rhythm, and the raven was the bringer of light to the Athapaskan Indians of Alaska. To the ancient Hermeticists the pelican was a bird of self-sacrifice, because of a folk tale of how it fed its young from the blood of its own breast.11 Birds have been symbols and signs for pagans, Christians, seers, prophets, and native people all over the world.
All birds are governed by instinct and reflex. They have an ability to react automatically to whatever data presents itself to them. It is part of their survival instinct. This same ability to respond automatically from an instinctual and/or intuitive level is what any bird totem can teach us to do. In this way we can learn to use our innate intuition to ride the currents of our life more effectively, instead of being bounced around by them.
You must be careful about misconceptions of the majesty and power of birds. If you truly intend to work with the medicine and energies associated with this expression of Nature, you must come to a greater understanding of birds in general. This is the first step in developing animal-speak with birds.
Birds have a make-up that is unique among animal life. Although the idea of being “bird brained” is considered synonymous with stupidity, this is a misconception. Birds are wonderful teachers. Their brains are simply adapted to the life they live. Their consciousness is in their own life process, from moment to moment. How many humans can say the same thing? If humans had the ability for singularity of focus that birds do, so much more could be accomplished.
The bird’s body is, of course, designed for lightness. This is essential to flight. There are only a few birds that cannot fly-the ostrich and the penguin being the prime examples. Even the bones of birds are hollow and filled with air to promote lightness and flight.
Their entire metabolism is accelerated, to accommodate the lightness necessary for flight. Those who align with bird totems can use the bird to help adjust their own metabolism. Working with bird medicine will result in a tremendous lightness of spirit, if not in body. This lightness is a freeing of the consciousness, and can be used to develop the ability to leave the body (astral projection).
The digestive system of birds is very rapid, and it is often more complete than in other animals. Those working with bird totems can take clues from the specific eating habits of their bird(s) to effect changes in their own digestive system. Elimination-regular and complete-will be essential to develop that same lightness for flight within your life. Most birds have no structure for storage of wastes, reinforcing the need for complete elimination in those working with bird totems-especially to instill new flights.
Their accelerated metabolism causes many birds to burn food much more quickly. Thus they often eat more often, but in smaller amounts. Nutritionists today recommend frequent meals of lesser amounts throughout the day as much healthier for the human body than the traditional three full meals per day. Many birds focus on high-octane foods for the greatest amount of releasable energy. A hummingbird burns its food at a rate in relation to its weight that is 50 times that of the human; because of that it is constantly searching out sugars and nectars from flowers and plants.
Many birds also have the ability to develop a torpid state where the body requires less food. They slow down the speed at which they live. The heartbeat slows, breathing is reduced and their temperature drops. In many ways this is similar to a hibernation state found among mammals. For the birds, though, it enables them to go further on less. They are able to utilize all the energy of the food they do take in.
These same abilities can be developed by those who align with their bird totems. Examine the eating and digestive habits of your birds. You will find as you work with it, that your metabolism and your digestive system will begin to reflect those same rhythms and patterns. If a bird comes into your life as a totem, it will reflect a corresponding change in diet, metabolic rate, and digestion that may be necessary for your overall health and growth. It may even reflect its necessity for your next step in your spiritual development. Remember to always ask yourself, “What is this bird trying to teach me?”
Working with bird totems can teach you new methods of breathing that can speed up or slow down your metabolism as is needed. Birds use air and oxygen to force combustion of food. Learning new techniques of breathing to extract greater energy from your own food and body is part of what birds can teach. Experiment with new breathing patterns. Study the breathing rhythms of your totems, and try to duplicate or imitate them. You will find it beneficial for those times you need to draw upon that bird’s energy.
Birds do not run out of breath. They literally fly into it. To make our lungs expand, we contract our diaphragm. When we relax, the rib cage moves to its regular size and we exhale. Most birds breathe in the opposite way. Their muscular effort expels air, rather than drawing it in. When they relax fresh air is automatically drawn in.
This is a technique that we can develop to some degree. We cannot duplicate the process, as we have a very different muscularity. A bird’s pectoral muscles also operate their lungs. Ours do not. Birds also have what we could call a one-way air system. They breathe in and through the body, thus there is always fresh air in the lungs. For those with bird totems this is very important. You must-for your own physical and spiritual health-have fresh air in the lungs regularly. Being outside and performing deep breathing exercises on a regular basis will be very empowering to you. It will be necessary to your overall health.
This fresh air contact is most effective for those with bird totems if it involves activity. Taking a walk outdoors, rather than just sitting and breathing, is more effective. A bird’s most powerful breathing activity occurs in flight, for as it moves its pectoral muscles (the muscles that control the wings) the lungs allow air to enter. Practice trying to increase and slow your breathing rate. Keep in mind, though, that humans will not be able to duplicate the breathing rate of birds. The average human breathes about 16 times per minute, and during exercise that will increase by five or six times. A pigeon at rest breathes 29 times a minute and in flight about 450 times.
By working with breathing and relaxation, we eliminate stress. We also find that it takes less effort to accomplish the things we work on in our life. There is a very ancient and powerful mysticism associated with breath. Yoga is one discipline that has taught the value of varied breathing techniques to fill the body with prana or energy. The Chinese discipline of chi kung involves learning to channel inner energy into greater outer expression through proper breathing. Taoism has its specific teaching regarding breath and the health of the body. There are many techniques that can be used to relax the body, increase its energy, to stimulate brain function, and to correct many health problems.
Breath and air are life, and birds hold the secrets to both, for it is their natural realm. We cannot explore all of their breath techniques in this volume, but in the bibliography are some sources that can help you get started. Remember that birds hold the secrets to the power of breath. The more you learn about birds and your specific bird totem, the more you will be able to align with and access the archetypal forces that manifest through it.
All birds, in general, have excellent vision. Their vision is much improved over humans, giving them a tremendous ability to judge distances. This visual perspective is part of what our bird totems can teach us. They can help us to see more clearly that which is at a distance; thus they are wonderful tools for developing higher forms of intuitive discrimination.
Many birds have eyes on both sides of the head. This enables them to see things approaching from more directions at the same time. Does your totem? If so, then it can help teach you to see in various directions at the same time (including the directions of time-past, present, and future). Other birds have eyes paired in front and they see the world as we do. The most common example of this is the owl.
The bird’s neck has much flexibility, enabling it to extend its vision to a wider area. Keeping the neck lose and flexible will be essential for anyone with a bird totem. Regular massages and stretches will not only find your physical vision improving, but also your intuitive vision as well.
The neck area has great symbolic significance. It is the point of connection between the head and the trunk of the body-the upper and the lower. It is a bridge between the two. The bridge is an ancient symbol associated with the joining or opening to new realms. The neck can reflect flexibility in thoughts and perceptions.
If you have a bird come into your life as a totem, maybe it is because you have been too inflexible. Are you being too rigid? Are you afraid to see what’s ahead or behind you? Are you refusing to see others’ points of view? Are you ready to open to new vision? To new realms?
Usually bird totems also indicate a more creative outlook on the world and your life. Many birds, especially birds of prey, have three eyelids. They have an upper eyelid, like ours. The owl especially moves the upper eyelid much in the same manner as humans, giving it a human appearance. Birds can also have a lower eyelid. This one is usually closed while sleeping. Hawks close their eyes by moving the lower eyelid up. There is a third eyelid, called the nictitating eyelid. It moves side to side to moisten and clean the surface of the eye, and to protect it against the wind when flying.
Three is a traditional number for creativity and new birth. Since it is associated in this case with the eyes, it would reflect new vision. A little meditation on the eyelids will elicit some dynamic insight into the way vision is going to shift in your own life.
It is always a good idea to study the flight patterns and behaviors of your bird totems. This will elicit much information. Aspects of this will be covered in the next chapter on “Feather Magic.” All birds fly in two basic ways: (1) by flapping the wings and (2) by gliding and soaring. Most utilize a combination of the two. They also will use the natural currents to gain altitude. Anyone with a bird totem should learn to recognize and utilize the natural currents in their own life. This, more than anything, will bring you the greatest success. There are times to flap and times to glide. As you learn your bird’s natural rhythms, you will find your life taking that rhythm upon itself. When that occurs, you will find you expend less energy and accomplish more.
Migration is common to many birds. Migration is simply the movement from one climate zone to the next for food. Birds know when to start, what route to take, where they’re going, when to start the return journey, etc. They don’t have to follow older birds who have made the trip before. They are born with the route somehow imbedded in them. Many scientists feel it is a kind of cellular knowledge that gives them an inborn directional and timing device.
If you have a totem which is migratory, study its patterns. This totem will help you in developing your own innate directional and timing device to accomplish and fulfill yourself most completely. It will help you in your own migration to those “food” sources most beneficial to you-be they actual food, jobs, other people, or even lovers.
Some birds do not have to migrate. They have developed an adaptive ability that affects survival in their own climate zone. Other birds which are not thought of as migratory may do so on occasion, reminding us not to get too locked in at any time. Remember that flexibility is part of what birds can teach us. Birds of prey are often not thought of as migratory, but even they do migrate when necessary. Usually, though, it is only as far as is necessary.
All birds are weather sensitive. With time and practice you too will develop an awareness of how your bird responds to changes in weather before the condition occurs. All birds can teach you how to recognize weather changes, and even how to create your own changes. Of course, this entails great responsibility.
When my father passed away several years ago, my brothers and I traveled to South Carolina for a special funeral service before bringing the body back to Dayton, Ohio, for burial. On the night of the service, the weather turned very nasty, with sleet and ice. Everyone was worried about roads freezing, planes being missed, and other hazardous problems by the time we left for Dayton the next morning. I tried to tell everyone not to worry about it-that it would be all right, but nobody, of course, listened.
That night, I did a particular meditation that I have used in the past to move the line of problem weather out of the travel road. Although I don’t use this exercise often, it is very effective. It is an exercise that involves my bird totems and other aspects. I had not used it in a while because I have found over the years that if I shift weather away from one area, it has to go somewhere else, so there is some very grave responsibility involved in using the exercise. On this night, I was coming down with a cold, I was tired and a little drained, so I was not being as careful as I should. Rather than dissipate the weather conditions, which requires more effort, I just shifted them out of the path I felt everyone would be taking back to Dayton.
The next morning the roads were clear, only one semi-slick spot was found, and it was melting by the time we hit it. Though overcast, there was no snow or rain, and by noon the clouds were breaking up and the sun was beginning to shine.
When my brothers and I reached Dayton, we were informed that my mother’s plane flight had been snowed in. She and my sister were flying back with my father’s body for the funeral service and burial in Dayton. I came to realize that she had not intended to fly out of the airport that I assumed she would. Rather, her flight was scheduled from an airport directly in line with where I had pushed the negative weather conditions. It was believed at that time that the flight would not be able to get out until the next day, which would throw all of the funeral arrangements into chaos.
I obviously had to do some corrective work. It was accomplished, and the flights were restored later that day. It did reinforce in me the need to be extra cautious in using these natural forces. Their energies are powerful and much can be accomplished by them, but there is a grave responsibility. It can be too easy to create problems. If I had not worked with my totems for a long time and known how to access their own unique energies none of this could have been accomplished. With practice and persistence, birds can teach great wonders.
The more you begin to look at both the general and specific characteristics of your totem, the more you will understand some of its language. You will come to know what it is saying to you about your life. Once you start seeing the obvious correspondences, then the subtle make themselves known more easily. The rest of this chapter will help you in beginning to truly understand what the birds are saying to you-about you and your life.
EXERCISES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS
Birds are often seen as omens, objects of worship, and even forecasters of weather. They communicate to anyone who will learn to listen appropriately. Each person though, based upon a solid knowledge, must learn to sense how the truth of the bird’s communication translates into his or her life. Information comes to us through Nature and all of its creatures. The body and mind knows and senses that what we see is significant. The flight of the bird and its direction is not accidental or without meaning. The time of flight, the place the bird appeared, and how other birds and animals responded are messages rich in meaning for us. Nature reflects the Divine within the physical world. The animals in Nature are the shadows of those mirrored reflections.
Exercise 1: Beginning the Day
Walt Whitman once wrote:
There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became.
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day,
Or for many years or stretching cycle of years. 12
It is this same idea that we use to begin to open communication with the realm of birds. The ability to sense what is being said to us does not need to be forced if we lay a solid foundation of knowledge. It simply involves relaxing into a deep awareness and a fuller sense of self. The exercises in this book will help you to develop that ability. Do not rush it. Let it unfold naturally.
Begin the first thing upon arising. Take a few moments, relax and quiet the mind. Visualize yourself stepping outside and being greeted by Nature through the encountering of a bird. Mentally ask that whatever bird has the most significant message for you for this day be the one you encounter. Mentally project the idea that the bird will reflect the kind of day it will be for you.
Visualize this in as much detail as possible. Do not worry that you may be imagining it or that you will become superstitious about it. This is just a door opening exercise. It helps you to begin to see and respond to nature as a source of information for you about your life. Remember too that birds are associated with mental activities, so the thoughts will be picked up by those bird totems significant for you.
Develop a mind set for how you want Nature to respond to you. Take time in your meditation before going outdoors to outline how you want the message to come to you. If the bird appears on your right, what do you wish that to indicate? On the Left? The North? The South? The East? The West? Flying up? Flying down? Know ahead of time what you want these things to mean. You don’t have to stay with them; as your relationship with the birds grows, so will the communication process.
Paying attention to the direction of flight is an age-old method of listening to Nature. One popular belief was that a bird which flew to the right before a trip would indicate that all would be well. To the left would indicate it would be best to stay home. I mentioned earlier that over the years I have developed the ability to recognize what certain hawk postures and activities usually indicate during my travels. This is something that you can begin developing now.
Take a few moments a day to establish this mindset and to send the message to Nature that you are ready to receive. You are programming yourself to deepen your response to Nature and her varied expressions. You are laying the groundwork for communication. You are inviting Nature to respond along very discernible and specific guidelines, so you will be able to understand her messages more effectively. Do this about five minutes every morning for about a week before taking the next step.
After a week of preparation meditations, it is time to take it further. Repeat your visualization, asking that nature send you a sign, through a bird, of how the day is going to go for you. Review in your mind what its possible appearances may indicate.
Then step outside and breathe deeply of the morning air. Take a seat and just relax. Listen and watch. What birds do you hear or see? Which-if more than one, stands out most strongly to you? How does it make you feel? What kind of day does that feeling seem to indicate as being before you? If you see the bird, is it flying or at rest? Is it, by its activity, indicating a day to fly high and sing or a day to get busy?
You do not even have to worry about the accuracy of what you encounter. Initially, the interpretation may not be very accurate, but, as you continue, you will find it becomes increasingly so. Remember that you have not been in the practice of listening to Nature for all of the time you’ve been alive. Because of this you may not establish immediate and accurate communications.
Note the basic qualities and characteristics of the bird. Examine its color. This alone will reflect much. When you see birds, are they alone or in groups? If in groups, what is the number? (Remember that numbers can be significant.) In what environment were they seen? Was it a nocturnal bird or a diurnal (daytime active) bird?
What do all these things seem to reflect about the day ahead? Trust your first impressions. This is just the first step. Then thank the bird and all of Nature for their presence within your life. This can be mental or some physical action, such as in a prayer or offering of seed.
Then go about your day’s business. As you do, occasionally pause to look outside. Is that bird showing itself to you to reinforce the message. Are you able to see how what you experienced in the morning reflected what has occurred up to this time. At the end of the day, do a review. How did the bird reflect or not reflect what actually occurred? How could the message have been made more clear? As you continue, within a month you will find that the birds provide a wonderful barometer for the day ahead.
SYMBOLIC QUALITIES OF BIRDS
Blackbird = Omens and mysticism, color of fear and promise
Bluebird = Happiness and fulfillment, color of north or east
Canary = Healing power of sound, heightened sensitivity
Catbird = Communication potential, new lessons or opportunities
Chickadee = Sacred number is seven, seeker of truth and knowledge
Crow = Intelligence, watchfulness, magical, past-life connections
Duck = Maternal, graceful and comforting, protective
Eagle = Capable of reaching zenith, great perception, bridging worlds
Finch = New experiences and encounters, wide range, summer solstice
Goose = Story telling, fertility and fidelity, symbol of eight and infinity
Grosbeak = Heals old wounds, family values, past lives significance
Hawks = Primal life force, fulfillment, spring and fall equinoxes
Kingfisher = Halcyon days, peace and prosperity, linked to north, blue
Loon = Realizing dreams, haunting and eerie song, imagination
Magpie = Occult knowledge, doorway to new realms, wily and willful
Meadowlark = Cheerfulness, sublimation, inner journey, linked to moon
Nuthatch = Applying wisdom to natural world, groundedness, ethereal
Oriole = Positive energy, reconnecting with inner sunshine, nature spirits
Owl = Silent wisdom and nocturnal vision, healing powers, magical
Peacock = Wisdom and vision, ostentatious, protective and powerful
Pelican = Self-sacrificing, non-competitive, buoyant, rising above trials
Pigeon = Love and security of home, fertility, archetypal energies
Raven = Shape shifting, messenger or omen, blending human and animal
Robin = New growth, territorial, color link to throat center
Starling = Sociable, communicating diversity, forceful
Stork = Related to humanity, connected to emotions, water, birth process
Swan = Sensitive, emotional, dreamer and mystic, longevity
Swift = Feminine and psychic energies, speed and agility
Turkey = Spiritual connection to Earth Mother, shared blessings
Vulture = Purification, never-ending vigilance, guardian of mysteries
Woodpecker = Weather prophet, drumbeats into other dimensions
Exercise 2: The Power of Imitation
Everything in nature resonates with the force of the Divine spirit. Each animal, plant, bird, and stone reflects this spirit in its own way. The more you are able to align with it and create your own resonance, the easier it will be to understand what nature is saying.
Throughout time, one of the most common and effective means of attuning to nature was through imitation of it. Individuals would assume postures and movements of animals and incorporate them into sacred dances. Through the dance and a costume depicting the animal, the individual could take on the identity of the totem.
Every animal has its own movements and postures. Costumes and movements can be employed to awaken to the archetypal force behind various animals. An individual could crouch like a lion, creep like a turtle, hop like a bird. A barn owl will often rock side to side to assist itself in pinpointing location of prey through sight and sound. Great horned owls will clack their beaks together as warning. Vultures will, upon rising, face the sun and spread their wings outward.
Adopting the movements and guise of your animal is a way of reawakening yourself to the essence of it and the spirit manifesting through it. This helps you to shapeshift your normal consciousness to a stronger perception and consciousness of that particular expression of Nature. Examine some of the Eastern sciences such as yoga, taoism, and kung fu. They are filled with movements reflecting animals. They will stimulate ideas which you can imitate and use effectively to align with your animal totem.
Find books and videos on the behaviors of various birds and animals and study their basic postures and movements. Go to the zoo or nature center and observe how they move and stand. How do they hold their heads? How do they place their feet when they walk? Then when you are home, imitate them. See it as a form of dance that honors your totem and invokes its energy more dynamically into your life.
Make masks and costumes that reflect your totem. Masks have been used in most societies to assist in entering into other realms. They facilitate creating illusions, and in connecting with the supernatural. They can be a dynamic tool to assist in manifesting the energy associated with the mask. This book is not capable of covering this subject fully, but you may wish to consult the author’s earlier work, Magical Dance—An Introduction to Ritual Movement.
Most of the ancient sacred animal dances were developed in this manner. It was simply a mimicking and imitation of animal forms and postures. Construct your own set of wings and practice your own flying. Have fun. All animals—including birds—love to play.
The Crane Stance
The crane is a dynamic symbol for poise and balance when working between the physical and spiritual realms. Working with its posture and movements will assist you in opening other dimensions and worlds with balance and strength. It can open the realms of the higher heavens or those of souls who have passed from physical life.
Exercise 3: Eggs, Nests, and Divination
One way of developing a more intuitive understanding of the language of birds has always been through divination. Eggs and nests were often tools for such work. Oomancia is the ancient science of divining the future through eggs. One branch of this, ooscopy, was used to determine the sex of an unborn child. A pregnant woman simply kept an egg between her breasts until it hatched. Then she would use the sex of the chicken to determine the sex of her child.13
The Serpent and the Egg
Often considered a variation of the Orphic Egg, this symbol is one of the most ancient symbols for fertility and new birth. The egg is the female, the serpent, the male. Together they create new birth.
There has always been a great mysticism about eggs. The Egyptian god Ra was born of an egg. In the Hindu tradition a golden world egg (Hiranyagarbha) hatched Brahma. In China P’an Ku, the first being, emerged from the cosmic egg. In the Greek tradition the Orphic egg was the form of the entire universe. The ancient symbol of the serpent and the egg has been found in many societies. (See the illustration on the following page.)
The egg is an ancient symbol for fertility and new birth. It is a symbol of resurrection, and it has even been used as a talisman against evil. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, the egg often represents potentiality. The egg of your bird totems can tell you much about the potentials and the time frame in which these potentials will begin to mature. The patterns, the colors and the shapes of eggs of your totem are clues to that which is about to be born into your life.
Examining the breeding habits of your bird should be one of the first things to do upon discovering your totem. It can reveal much information:
• The season in which it mates and most often lays eggs can tell you when your potentials are going to be more noticeable.
• The number of eggs usually laid by your bird will tell you how many avenues of expression your new potentials are most likely to take.
• The gestation period before hatching will give you an idea of how much preparation may be necessary to understand the language of your totem and its likely impact upon your life.
• The length of time it takes for your bird to mature from the time of hatching can tell you how long it may take before the full expression of energies associated with your totem manifest within your life.
The nesting habits of your totem can also reflect the most effective means for you to construct your new home. It can reflect the best manner to utilize the new energies associated with the bird. The size of the nest, its construction, and its usual location can have significance for you and your life. Study the manner in which your bird constructs, develops, and utilizes its nests. Some birds, such as the crow, always build nests high up in the tallest trees, so that they have greater vision over the terrain. Some birds build a new nest every year. Others add on to that which they have already built. Your totem can help you in finding the ideal location and kind of home for you.
Exercise 4: Flights of Fancy
This exercise is a meditation to help awaken you to the power and majesty of birds and the archetypal forces that manifest through them. It can strengthen your connection to your own individual bird totem, and it can reveal to you which bird is truly your life totem. It can be used with any of the other exercises in this book without interfering or lessening their impact.
The symbolism used within it is designed to create a shift within your consciousness to that level of the mind which responds to and can understand the symbolic and actual power of birds and their primary medium, the element of air. The exercise will awaken within you the ability to call forth the archetypal force of birds and their actual physical manifestations. It is not unusual for those who have participated in this exercise to encounter shortly thereafter the actual bird that is their totem-in real life. This is always a wonderful confirmation.
With practice, this exercise can develop into a true shamanic journey. This exercise can be enhanced through creating and wearing bird masks and/ or costumes. You will find, through this exercise, an increasing ability to leave the body and fly about the universe as a bird.
This ability is something common to most true shamans. Shamans of Siberia often wore bird costumes, and many shamanic societies used a staff with a bird’s head carved on top to represent the pilgrimage, a soulful flight. This kind of staff, as a prayer stick and tool to assist in new travels of the spirit, will be explored in greater detail in the next chapter. It is something that you may wish to consider making for yourself at some point, as you continue to develop a deeper relationship with your bird totem.
1. Begin the exercise by making sure you will not be disturbed. Take the phone off the hook, and make yourself comfortable. You may either sit or lay down, whichever is more comfortable.
2. You may wish to don any bird mask or costume you may have made. If you have any feathers, place them about you, hold them in your hand or place them within your hair. Remember that any feather of any bird can be used to connect you with the essence of any other bird.
3. If you have a drum or rattle, you may wish to use it. The rhythm should be slow and steady. Five minutes of slow rhythmic drumming is beneficial to helping you shift gears and move into a level of mind that will facilitate the following visualization. Don’t worry that you won’t be able to keep up the rhythm throughout. If you stop in the middle, that is fine. It will have served its purpose by that point in the exercise.
4. Breathe deeply, and if you do not yet feel relaxed, perform a progressive relaxation. Send warm, soothing feelings to each part of your body. Take your time with this. The more relaxed you are, the more effective the energy will be experienced.
Bird Masks and Costumes An Eagle’s Head Hat Mask
Making your own bird masks and costumes can be accomplished simply and inexpensively. It is a wonderful way of attuning to your bird totems. You can even create fun dances with them. It is empowering and it honors the essence of the bird, drawing it into your life more dynamically.
5. Allow your eyes to close and breathe deeply. Feel the breath filling your lungs and relaxing the body and mind. As you continue to relax and breathe, you feel a soft cool brush of air across your face. It is sweet and energizing, and in your mind you see an image beginning to form.
You find you are in a green meadow. The grass beneath you is soft and lush, and the air itself seems to sparkle with sunlight. As you look about you, you see that the meadow you are in lies on a plateau on the side of a huge mountain. Above you, in the distance, is the crest, hidden from your view by soft mists of clouds. Below you see the town in which you live, and your home specifically.
Again you feel the touch of a soft breeze, and then a shadow moves across you, momentarily blocking the sun. Then it disappears, and a moment later it returns. Across the meadow you see the shadow of what appears to be a large bird. And every time the shadow passes over you, there is a breeze, as if you are being fanned by powerful but gentle wings.
You raise your eyes toward the sky and as you catch sight of this giant bird, it swoops, diving down and grasping you with its talons. It does not hurt, but you are held firm and strong.
You feel yourself being lifted up, as the mighty wings push and pull, sending gusts of wind past you. And as you look down toward that meadow, you see the grasses waving in response to the air currents caused by the wings of this bird, and for a moment you feel as if they are waving good-by to you.
You see yourself rising higher and higher as the bird carries you toward the top of the mountain. The air becomes cooler, but not uncomfortable. It has a vitalizing aspect. And then you find mists of clouds around you, as you continue to rise higher and higher, until even the clouds are left behind.
Then the flapping of the wings stops, and the bird begins to soar upon the air currents, gliding silent and soft. You see just below you a massive nest at the top of a huge tree at the very crest of the mountain. You are dizzied by the lightness of the air and the slow circular soaring of this magnificent bird. Slowly it circles down toward that nest.
You catch your breath as you draw closer, afraid that you will hit too hard. Then with a sudden and powerful flutter of its wings, it hovers just above the nest and gently lays you within it. With a powerful stroke of its wings, it rises once more and soars beyond your sight.
You stand in this nest at the top of this great mountain, and you are sure you are at the top of the world. You move to its edge and peer down, and the view is dizzying, causing you to step back. The air is clear and fresh, and a strong wind blows about you. You breathe deeply, and as you do you begin to hear the soft whispers of voices within the wind.
It is as if a soft chorus is speaking to you. With each breath you take, the voices become more distinct.
“Without air there could be no life. You could not exist-nor anything upon the planet. Where ever there is space, there is air. You breathe through air; you move through air. You use air every time you speak or think. “You are affected by what air-what atmosphere-you are exposed to. You leave traces of your being within the air everywhere you go. The words you speak, the thoughts you think and the attitudes you assume affect the atmosphere.
“By learning to attune to the element of air-through those creatures most active within it-you will become more sensitive to all atmospheres you enter. You will learn to recognize which environments to avoid, which people may cause problems and who and what may be of benefit. You will learn to change the currents of your life through a word, a sound, a thought, or a breath for they all fly upon the wings.”
You move once more to the edge and look out over the horizon. You breathe deeply and feel the air moving through your body and your organs. Every cell within you seems to be breathing, and with each breath, you feel yourself grow lighter and lighter. You begin to see the air as you breathe it, as crystalline spirals and waves of energy that strengthen and brighten your body. It is as if a million wings of light are flowing about you.
Each breath fills your mind and body with a new sense of joy and wonder, and soon you realize that you are not breathing, but rather you are being breathed. You stand on the edge of the cliff, feeling the currents breathing through you. You feel yourself growing lighter and lighter. You extend your arms out like an eagle spreading its wings to capture the air so that it can soar. You begin to understand how every bird has ever felt the moment it left the earth.
With your arms straight out, you step off the nest, and there is a soft drop and then the currents catch you and lift you, sending you up. You begin to glide and soar. See and feel yourself as a bird with great wings of light. Allow yourself to dip and dive and begin to get used to the currents. Ride the currents. Soar with them and not against them.
As you relax into the current, you see that you have begun a slow, gentle glide downward. You take in the whole world from this perspective. You see everything and everyone as new. Slowly and gently the currents carry you down. Through the clouds, you glide and soar. And then you spy the meadow beneath you. In the heart of the meadow is a tree that you seem to be gliding toward. Slowly, gently the currents lower you. Gently you reach out with your hand and touch the tree. It stabilizes you and helps you control yourself so that you can come to rest, landing solidly and gracefully in that lush grass. You are filled with a sense of wonder, and you raise your eyes back up to the mountain again, searching the sky for that bird to raise you up once more. The sky is empty. Disappointed, you bring your focus back, and you see the tree is now gone.
Standing in its place is a wooden staff. Its head is carved in the shape of a bird, and it is festooned with the feathers of specific birds-birds that have always fascinated you and been around you your whole life. And you begin to understand. This is your journey staff. With it, you will learn to invite the birds into your life. It will become the tree from which you learn to fly. It will help you in all of your flights of fancy yet to come.
You take the staff in both hands and raise it to the sky and offer a thanks. And in response, a soft breeze flows across you and through you. You close your eyes and revel in its promise. You breathe deeply of its essence, and you make a vow to honor all of the winged beings.
Birds and the Faerie Realm
Many fairies and spirits of the air come to humans in the form of birds and other winged creatures. When seen in their true form, they are delicate and beautiful.
10. Wexo, John. Zoo Books - Birds of Prey (San Diego, Wildlife Education, Ltd., 1980), p. 2.
11. Cirlot, J. E. A Dictionary of Symbols (New York, Philosophical Library, 1971), p. 252.
12. Whitman, Walt. “There Was A Child Went Forth,” Two Ways of Seeing (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1971), p. 15.
13. Baskin, Wade. The Sorcerer’s Handbook (Secaucus: Citadel Press, 1974), p. 432.